Garvey was an exciting, captivating speaker who electrified audiences with his passionate delivery. Rejecting uplift through education and practical politics in favor of “Back to Africa” racism separatism.
He articulated powerfully the thoughts and desires of Negroes and promised them an impressive empire in Africa.
1. Educate the People
Garvey was widely respected as an unafraid leader who took risks to achieve his goals. He believed that everyone must have access to education, believing that more knowledge meant a brighter future. To facilitate this goal, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association; an organization dedicated to celebrating Black culture and history while encouraging businesses owned by Blacks as well as restaurants run by Blacks – it proved enormously successful and played an instrumental role in strengthening Black communities worldwide.
Garvey’s approach, however, often contradicted modern notions of racial equality. Instead, he promoted pan-Africanism which held that Africans were superior to whites and would reclaim Africa from European imperialists to rule it as an African empire ruled by black people. While critics saw this fantasy as dangerously utopian and counterintuitive for black Americans suffering under white oppression – many found the belief in Garvey appealing and resonated strongly.
Garvey was an inspiring public speaker who wasn’t afraid to fight injustice head on. He believed his speeches could inspire black people to follow their own paths and make a positive difference in the world; he even described them as being like an “infusion of adrenaline into their system.”
Garvey was known for his ability to unite people into powerful movements, with wide support among postcolonial leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta as followers and supporters of his efforts. Indeed, some even considered him a prophet because of this ability.
To be an effective leader, it is vital that you first understand the needs of your followers. Doing this will allow you to determine what type of leadership style would work best with them. In addition, being able to communicate your vision clearly will encourage followers and instil confidence. Lastly, being confident and self-reliant with your leadership style will foster loyalty from followers as it builds their trust in you as an authority figure and encourage them to follow you.
2. Organize the People
Garvey was well known for bringing together people to work toward a common goal, creating the Black Pride and Unity Movement which continues to influence modern world. Additionally, his beliefs provided the foundation for Civil Rights Movement as well as modern Pan-Africanism.
Garvey was born August 17, 1887, in St’Ann Bay, Jamaica to his mason father and one of 11 siblings. Due to economic hardship for his parents, he left school at 14 to work in a print shop while learning valuable lessons from him about work from his father – lessons which would shape him into becoming one of Jamaica’s greatest leaders later.
Once employed by a print shop, Garvey set off on an extended speaking tour across America. His oratory skills allowed him to combine Jamaican peasant aspirations for economic independence with American gospel of success – giving rise to what eventually became known as Black Nationalism. By 1917 he had founded Universal Negro Improvement Association in Harlem and launched Negro World newspaper; additionally he set up Black Star Line which transported people back home.
Garvey believed Africans needed to return home not only for rebuilding purposes, but also so they could reclaim their identity as Africans. He advocated the establishment of Black-owned businesses to foster economic independence. Although controversial within American society, Garvey quickly gained popularity within Black communities. Furthermore, his impact had an influence on Rastafarianism.
Garvey was a visionary leader who used emotion and fantasy to motivate his followers. His fervor and passion helped to motivate his supporters even though some of his ideas weren’t practical; he was an unafraid leader who took risks. Today there exists an analogue to Garvey’s use of emotions as movement-building techniques: Donald Trump. Much like Garvey did before him, Trump appeals to people’s emotions to gain support for his presidential campaign.
3. Create Opportunities for the People
Marcus Garvey was an influential leader who created a movement bearing his name. He gave black people confidence that their lives mattered; his catchphrase “Up You Powerful Race, Achieve What You Will!” inspired millions during the 1920s. Marcus’ revolutionary message that all black people could achieve prominence was unparalleled for its time.
Garvey’s philosophy centered around his belief that it was essential for black people to foster intellectual independence as an essential requirement of success. His theory of self-mastery and culture stemmed from classical tradition’s belief that virtue was essential for leadership; his essay “Governing the Ideal State”, written while imprisoned at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, perfectly expressed this concept.
Garvey was taught early by his father the value of hard work and commitment towards an objective, pushing him forward to pursue his dreams without letup. Garvey’s early experiences as a print trade worker gave him many of the tools necessary for success. Later he traveled to Central America where he observed working conditions of blacks, which led him to believe it was his duty to share this information with other black people.
Garvey founded the UNIA in Jamaica in 1914; upon moving back to New York City he founded the Black Star Line shipping and passenger company in 1916 to provide a link between North America and Africa as well as facilitate migration of African-Americans into Liberia. Garvey’s philosophy hinged on his belief that black people needed to gain independence from white-dominated societies through business enterprise.
Garvey was an outspoken challenger to the establishment in his time; even today, however, cowardice and fear from those in power prevent his legacy from being honored in full. But it continues through black scholars and activists working towards creating an economically stable yet spiritually fulfilling black nation.
4. Invest in the People
Garvey inspired millions of African Americans, but his philosophy failed to meet their deepest needs. Africans who felt oppressed by white racists craved power they could use to fight back – yet instead of providing strategies through education or practical politics, Garvey created a bold fantasy of future power: promising his followers an empire they could conquer in Africa; this inspired what came to be known as Garveyism: an ideological movement founded upon black supremacy and an African-centric worldview.
Garvey arrived in America at the outset of what he termed the “New Negro” era. Black discontent, spurred on by 1917 race riots in East St. Louis and intensified by postwar disillusionment, reached its pinnacle during 1919’s Red Summer. Garvey used his oratory talents to combine Jamaican peasant aspirations for economic and cultural independence with America’s gospel of success into an uplifting message of racial pride for black communities across America.
Garvey established the Universal Negro Improvement Association, or U.N.I.A, in Kingston Jamaica to serve print tradesmen. As part of this organization he traveled widely lecturing across America while writing his “Declaration of Rights of Negro Peoples of the World”, which predated by 28 years the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Garvey encountered significant white resistance to his ideas and set about recruiting members for the United Nation Independence Alliance in the South. His recruitment strategy proved controversial and led him to meet with leaders of the Ku Klux Klan. Unfortunately, however, few joined their cause despite Garvey’s best efforts.
Garvey also supported segregation laws as an essential means for developing black businesses, in stark contrast with key African figures such as W. E. B Du Bois. His proponentism for such measures led him to criticise major African leaders like Du Bois and laud their positions instead.
Though Garvey remains divisive in some circles, his ideas remain relevant to today’s African diaspora. Caleighsta Edmonds of Howard University says Garvey’s teachings can help African Americans see themselves as valuable assets rather than mere operational tools. Edmonds notes that leading enterprises recognize the value of investing in employees by offering opportunities for professional growth; “they ensure their goals and priorities are reflected and embedded into every opportunity offered to their workers,” according to her.
